Bryce Harper called up to majors by Nats

Bryce Harper is coming to the show. The Nationals announced on Friday that heavily-hyped prospect is being called up to the majors to replace Ryan Zimmerman who is going on the disabled list with an injured shoulder.

Harper is only 19 years old and has less than 500 career minor league at-bats, but the former No. 1 overall pick may get his crack at big league pitching on Saturday. The Nats are facing the Dodgers in Los Angeles and the pitchers will be Stephen Strasburg and Chad Billingsley.

The move is surprising for two reasons. One, Harper was only batting .250 with one home run and three RBIs in Triple-A, so they’re moving him up even though he’s not hitting the ball too well. Two, they’re calling him up in April rather than June, meaning his major league service time clock will begin ticking earlier and he could eventually earn more money through arbitration as a “Super Two” player.

It looks like the Nats, who lead the National League with a 14-5 record, are not messing around. I guess manager Davey Johnson is getting his wish.